In 2021, I accomplished a goal that I had set for myself when I first started watching poker on TV back in 2003: I finally played in my first World Series of Poker. My results exceeded all reasonable expectations. In only my second ever World Series event, I made Day 2 and scored my first WSOP cash, walking away from the 2021 series net positive.

Unfortunately, my 2022 experience was much less successful. Other than meeting my poker hero, Daniel Negreanu, and winning some good money in cash games, the 2022 trip was mostly a disaster. I planned it very last-minute, played in events that (in hindsight) did not cater to my skills, played pretty poorly in the two highest buy-in events of my poker “career,” and even got stuck in the middle of a Las Vegas mob fleeing from what everyone thought was an active shooter, but was in fact simply a broken pane of glass.

This year, I was determined to recapture my winning formula from 2021. I planned my trip well in advance, picking events that catered to my playing style and skills. I spent several months studying poker and refining my strategy. I played in two WSOP Circuit events in LA to practice what I had been working on. I spent the weeks leading up to the series getting myself mentally and physically prepared for the grind of 14-hour poker days. Finally, on June 27, I boarded a flight to Vegas ready to put my new skills to the test.

Check out the vlogs below to see how it all turned out!